Abutment-motion for reversible rotary engines



STATES PATENT GFFTCF.

CASSIUS A. MILLS, OF COLD VATER, MICHIGAN.

ABUTMENT-MOTION FOR REVERSIBLE ROTARY ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 9,219, dated August 24, 1852.

T o all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, Cassius A. MILLS, of Cold Water, in the county of Branch and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Rotary Steam-Engines; and I do hereby declare that the following` is a full, clear, and eXact description ot' the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure l, is a plan of a rotary engine constructed according to my improvements; Fig. 2, is a vertical section of the same seen in the line m, m, ot Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrow l, and Fig. 3, is another vertical section of the same, in the line i, y, of Fig. l, looking in the direction of the arrow 2.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in each of the several igures.

A, is the frame which carries all the parts of the engine.

B, is the cylinder.

C, is the pistonwheel, and D, the main shaft to which the piston wheel is keyed. The piston wheel is packed at its sides so as to make a steam tight annular space E, between its periphery and the inside of the cylinder, and is furnished with three pistons F, F, F, which consist of radial wings rmly attached to it and suitably p-acked to till the space E, the said pistons being at equal distances apart. Two cham,- bers Gr, Gr', each consisting of one sixth of the annular space between the cylinder and piston wheel are formed by three sliding heads H, H', H, which slide through stutting boxes a, in one of the cylinder heads. The said sliding heads are attached to three pairs of rods b, c, b', c and b, c, each pair of rods being connected together by cross heads h, at each end, and sliding through guide plates (Z, e, which keep them parallel with the axis of the cylinder and shaft. Upon the three rods b, b', b, are hung three catch levers f, j, f, one on each rod having notches which catch on the rods c, c', c, the said notches being all on corresponding sides of the levers. Upon the same rods there is another set of levers g, g', g, similar to f, f', f, but having their notches on opposite sides to the latter. Either of the above sets of levers can be brought into communication with the rods c, c', c, or disconnected from them simultaneously, by means of rods or chains z', z",

which connect those of each set severally and are attachable to pins j, j 7c, 70, on the frame. The said pins being for the purpose of holding either set in or out of connection with the rods c, c', c, only one set requiring to be in connection at once for the reason that one set of levers is for drawing the sliding heads H, H, H, clear of the pistons while working in one direction, and the, other set while working in the other direction. The levers are acted upon for the purpose above stated, by two wheels I, I, fast upon the main shaft, the said wheels being eac-h furnished with three inclined or wedge Jformed pieces placed at equal distances apart on one side. These inclines though alike on each wheel rise in opposite directions so that one set will act when turir ing in one direction and the other when turning in the opposite direction.

The levers by being brought in contact with the rods c, c, c are firmly held in a position to be acted upon by the inclines Z, which drive them from the cylinder, and the levers not being allowed to move longitudinally on the rods, draw therods with them, and thus withdraw the sliding heads from the cylinder. Springs m., are applied between the frame and the rods, to throw the sliding heads back after the inclines pass the levers. The wheels I, I, are so arranged upon the shaft that their inclines will cause .the sliding heads to be drawn back at the precise moment that the pistons severally require to pass.

The steam is admitted to the cylinder by two pipes J, K, for working in one direction :and by two others J, K', for working in the opposite direction, the said pipes all leading to a double steam chest L, which is divided int-o two compartments having two valves therein, the said valves in each compartment opening and closing the ports leading to one pair of the steam pipes. The steam is admitted to either compartment of the steam chest by opening one of the throttle valves in a box M, above the steam chest the valves and passages are not shown as they constitute no part of the invention which may be understood without describing them particularly. The two valves which open and close the passages leading to the pipes J, K, are worked by rods n, n, and the two other valves by rods 0, 0, the said rods receiving the necessary motion to open the valves at suitable intervals through pins u, attached to a wheel p, on the main shaft, the said pins acting on toes o, attached to the rods; the valves being closed by springs g, as soon as the toes areleft free, the exhaust steam escapes through openings s, s, one in each chamber G and G; one of these is for exhausting while working in one direction, and the other while working in the opposite one.

The engine is supposed in all the figures of the drawing to be working in the direction of the black arrow shown in each figure, the steam pipes J, and K, being inruse and J and K, being closed by the proper valve in the vlave box M. The valves attached to the rods n, n', are in operation the other two may be disconnected by unhooling the rods. The exhaust passage s, in the chamber g, is supposed to be closed. The steam is now supposed to have entered the cylinder through the pipe K, and to be acting upon the piston F, the valve attached to the rod n, having last been opened. The steam is worked expansively, (as the valve is opened but for a short time,) and is now supposed to have nearly expended its force on the piston. The piston F, has nearly reached the sliding head H, which requires to be withdrawn to allow it to pass, and the lever f, is just about to be acted upon by one of the inclines on the wheel I, which will withdraw it. Just before the head H, is withdrawn, the rod n, is acted upon by one of the pins u, on the wheel p, and the valve communicating with the pipe J, opened to admit steam to act upon the piston F, which it continues to do until the head I is closed behind it, when the rod n, is again acted upon and steam admitted through K, the steam between F, and F, which by having been allowed to expand is reduced to a merely nominal pressure is carried around till it reaches the exhaust passage s', when it escapes. The sliding heads H, H, I are all opened at the proper time to allow the pistons to pass and are closed instantane! ously, after the pistons have passed. The

steam admit-ted through the pipes J, and K,

acts upon each piston in turn in the manner described. While the engine is working in the direction pointed out the rods or chains i are secured so as to hold the levers g, g, g, so that they will not be touched by the inclines on the wheel I', during its revolution.

When it is desired to reverse the engine, that valve in the box M, communicating with the pipes J, K, is closed and that communicating with J K, is opened; the valve rods n, n may then be disconnected and o, 0, must be connected. I will here observe that it is not necessary to disconnect either pair of the valves in the steam chest except to dispense with unnecessary friction. The levers f, f, f, are released from the rods c, 0', c, and brought to a position in which they will be cleared by the inclines on the wheel I; the levers g, g, g, beingA secured so as to catch the said rods. The steam is then admitted to the cylinder through the pipes J, and K, and acts on the opposite sides of the pistons. The operation of all the other parts of the engine is precisely the reverse of that when the pistons are working in the direction of the arrow, and the exhaust steam then escapes through the passage s, which is opened, s', being closed.

Vhat I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

The combination for the purpose of withdrawing the sliding heads at proper intervals and returning them, whichever way the engine is working, of the rods 50, b', 0', b, c, the levers f, f', f, and g, g, g, the wheels I, and I, with the wedge shaped projections or inclines Z, and the springs M, the whole arranged and operating in any way substantially as set forth.

C. A. MILLS.

Witnesses:

A. A. BURGEss, C. N. KNAPP. 

